Germany suffer blow from Latvia

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Germany suffered a serious blow at Euro 2004 when they were held to a 0-0 draw by a tenacious Latvia side today and must now beat the already-qualified Czech Republic to guarantee a quarter-final place.

The three-time European champions had been in upbeat mood after a convincing 1-1 draw with rivals the Netherlands in their opening Group D battle but the gloom soon returned with a dismal display against the unfancied Baltic debutants.
Germany, who were only able to put their opponents under real pressure in the second half, now risk another early exit after failing to survive the group stage at Euro 2000.

Memories of their worst overall performance at a major tournament are haunting the Germans, who need to beat the Czechs in the last group game on Wednesday to make sure of qualifying.

The Czechs came from 2-0 down to beat the Netherlands 3-2 in today's late game in the group to become the first team at Euro 2004 to reach the last eight. The Czechs now have six points, Germany have two and the Netherlands and Latvia one.

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While the German players left the pitch at Porto's Bessa stadium with their heads down immediately after the final whistle, the Latvian team stayed there for a while, celebrating as if they had won the tournament.

A draw was all Latvia could reasonably hope for in a group featuring three former champions.

However, the surprise qualifiers, who put up a competitive display in a 2-1 defeat to the Czechs in their first match, exceeded even their expectations by holding their own against Europe's most decorated outfit.

"This is an historic - I wanted to say win - draw. I'm happy and proud for our country and our fans," said Latvia coach Aleksandrs Starkovs.

Germany had worried their supporters with a poor run-in to the finals featuring a 5-1 thrashing by Romania and a 2-0 defeat to Hungary's second string.

Their spirited display against the Dutch, however, had raised hopes they might emulate their unexpected run to the 2002 World Cup final and enhance their reputation as the ultimate tournament specialists.

Now they are back to square one, and still chasing their first victory over a European team at a major championship since their 2-1 win with a golden goal over the Czechs at the Euro 96 final at Wembley.

What went wrong for Germany on Saturday in a tight, tactical affair with few highlights is that they failed to dictate play in the first half and then wasted the few chances they created, partly due to a lack of imagination.

The defensive wall erected by the Latvians held on and Germany kept crashing into it rather than trying their luck down the flanks.

Even set pieces, one of their traditional strengths, let them down and they were only dangerous from one, a fierce Michael Ballack free kick after 64 minutes.

"We didn't play very well," said wing back Philipp Lahm.

"Against such a team you must show more initiative and pace than we did."

Lahm, only 20 and one of the rising talents in a team already building for the 2006 World Cup finals on home soil, knows Germany have a record of fighting until all hope is lost.

"I still believe we can beat anybody and stand a real chance," he said.